Empty
by Shadow Wolfboy
Summary: Carrie still had no idea where Gumball was, he had been missing ever since Summer started. They had gotten really close two years ago, but now… where the hell was he? Summer was almost over. Did he plan on coming back to school? …Or even back into her life?
1. Chapter 1: Empty

**A/N: Well, seeming as how I've been writing Kung Fu Panda for so long, I thought I'd try another anthropomorphic series. Well… of course some of the characters aren't animals, but you get the point. LOL Hope you enjoy this new series.**

**And the names of Carrie's parents are from GuitarGuy12345's fanfic, they are used with permission.**

**One last thing, this is just a side-fic. Just something I'm going to write when writers block hits me for my others stories. Nothing too serious in here, no combat or anything that I have planned so far. And when I say combat, I mean nothing like my Kung Fu Panda fics where it's all out war and stuff. If anything, the only thing that would happen are just a few fights. But anyways, here's the story:**

Carrie looked at the High School as she passed it, just one more year and then she would be free of that prison. She gave a small smile as she silently chuckled at that thought, Elmore High was exactly as she said it was. You could never get away with anything there, they had buckled down on the rules until basically you could get disciplined for chewing gum in the hallway. Granted that chewing gum was not allowed, but still, it was the simple fact of just popping the gum in your mouth and you would get automatic out of school suspension.

There was a cause for that, the teachers and Principal were just worried another crisis would happen, the same as two years ago. True while the accident did not occur _at _the school, the Board of Education reasoned that if it could happen where it did, it could happen anywhere. Even after the store had been shut down the school still refused to lighten up on the punishments. And then there was Gumball…

Carrie still had no idea where Gumball was, he had been missing ever since Summer started. She had tried getting ahold of him through his cell phone and even going at his old house, seeing if he went there, but no such luck. She mentally berated herself for thinking that when she stopped there, why would he have gone there?

She'd heard whispers around some of the women in Elmore that Gumball was fighting depression by boozing it up in the local club and it pissed Carrie off to no end. Every time she snuck into the bar to look for him, he was nowhere to be found. And whenever she asked if any of the workers had seen a sapphire furred cat, they always replied that they hadn't. Obviously they were hiding the fact they _had _seen him around and the workers were told by him to not reveal where he was. But that was only her assumption…

Jamming her hands into her hoodie pockets, she sighed and leaned against a tree… only to go straight through it and ended up looking up at the sky as she began to float laying down. She sighed, focusing her attention at said sky as the clouds flitted about in the heavens, as it was quite windy today. Upon turning seventeen, Carrie was gifted with a full body equivalent to what she would have appeared if she were still alive. She could now eat and she could actually feel the world around her. It was as if she were really alive again…

But yet every time she looked in the mirror, she was reminded with the fact that she was dead.

Her hair had grown out a bit more than when she was a kid. It still only covered the one eye though, and she had traded out the skull hair clip for a simple black one with no design. She retrieved her cell phone from her pocket, dialing Gumball's number again. They had gotten really close two years ago, but now… where the hell was he? Summer was almost over. Did he plan on coming back to school?

…Or even back into her life?

"_We are sorry, this number has been disconnected due to overdue billing. Goodbye."_ a computerized voice answered her call then clicked to the dial tone. Great, now hi cell phone was out of order.

"Damn it…" Carrie flipped her phone shut, shoving it in her pocket. "Where are you, Gumball…?"

Shaking her head, she stood up and continued on her way down the sidewalk toward her house. Night was falling fast, but what bad could that bring her? She was dead, even though she could reach out and touch things, she wasn't tangible unless she made herself so.

That meant a mugging was out. She smiled and allowed herself a soft chuckle, then frowned, looking at what remained of the Watterson house. Unbeknownst to her, she had clenched her hands into fists as she ran her eyes over the ruined home.

The few times she had slept next to Gumball for the night to comfort the cat, she could hear him in his sleep. Whispering, crying…

If she still had her heart, well… figuratively she still had one, but that's besides the point. Her heart would have shattered at how… _helpless_ he made himself sound. He kept blaming himself for what had happened. In reality, while some say it _was_ his fault, Carrie knew for a fact it wasn't. True, she wasn't there, but she knew Gumball enough and trusted him enough to believe his words. They had known each other for years, she was a trusted friend, a _best_ friend. Pretty much the only one he had left after the accident, since everyone had simply blamed him. Penny was sympathetic at first, but when she learned of what happened, she wanted nothing to do with the poor guy.

That pissed her off to no end. After all that flirting back and forth between those two, she had to be a bitch and believe everyone else and not him. Carrie had been for him, and he was most thankful because when he had no one else, she was there for him. Not even Gumball's grandmother 'Jojo' wanted him, she blamed and disowned him. And Anais had been in a coma ever since those horrific events…

He had very near no family left… so Carrie had offered for him to live with her, and thankfully he agreed. They'd 'lived' (Of course at her parent's place) together under the same roof for two years, but then one night, _right _after summer break began, he never came home and Carrie's family, as well as herself, assumed the worst. They'd been out all night and till dawn looking for him, and nothing. Her parents told Carrie that Gumball was troubled and probably needed some time alone, and that placated her worries.

For only a day…

She went stir-fry crazy, she just felt so empty because none of her so-called 'friends' wanted to talk to her since she had 'fraternized' with Gumball. They weren't her real friends anymore, so she basically told them to shove it. Besides her sisters and parents, Gumball was all she had left. They were similar in that way, they had each other. And now he's missing, as far as she knew. Either missing, or he just didn't want to be found or…

Don't _think like that, Carrie._ She chastised herself.

Training her eyes to the sidewalk, she continued on her way toward her house. Opening her front door and closing it behind her, she was greeted by her mother, who smiled warmly at her.

"…No luck tonight, either." Carrie mumbled and Mrs. Booregard's expression changed.

"Oh honey…" She brought her daughter into an embrace. "I'm sure your boyfriend is out there somewhere. Don't worry, he'll be back, I promise."

"He's not my boyfriend, Mom!" Carrie shook her head, pushing away from the hug. "And you've been saying that for the last month and a half, face it, he's never coming back!"

Before her mother could even respond, the young apparition went through the ceiling and up to her room, collapsing onto her bed in a heap of silent sobs. Why the hell did he leave her all alone? Didn't he care?

She closed her eyes shut tightly and turned away from her door as it creaked open slowly, light from the hallway spilling into her dark bedroom illuminated only by the moonlight.

"…Carrie…" she heard a soft voice call out to her and she stopped crying at once. She slowly opened her eyes, staring at the wall at first, afraid if she turned around, he would vanish.

"…G-Gumball…?" Carrie asked in a quiet voice. "Is that you?"

"Yes..."

She sat up in the bed, turning her head. Carrie's mouth opened in a silent scream and her eyes widened. Gumball had a grotesque appearance, his right eye hung from the socket by the optic nerve. His left eye had sunken into his head and was glowing with an eerie yellow fire. His teeth were rotted yellow and what remained were sharpened decaying points as he smiled at her. His body seemed to be undergoing the process of decaying itself, as his skull was visible where his right ear should have been, his ribs were visible and his intestines were hanging out of his stomach. He raised a hand to her, long yellow claws and he was missing a few fingers.

Behind him was her entire family, sadistic grins and glowing red eyes.

"…I have come for you…" he rasped, lunging toward her.

* * *

Carrie woke up screaming at the top of her… well, ghostly lungs. She fell back down onto her bed and curled up in the fetal position and was trembling all over. Her doorway burst open and her parents and sisters came running - er - floating in. Well they have legs so it would technically be classified as running.

"Sweetie, are you okay? What happened? Did someone try to break in?" Her father asked worriedly, lightly touching her shoulder.

"…N-No, I'm not fine and no…" Carrie croaked out, trying to control her shaking.

"What's wrong, Carrie?" Mrs. Booregard sat next to her, stroking the hair out of her daughters face so she could look into both eyes. She gently sat her up and hugged her, rocking her back and forth.

"…B-Bad dream…" Carrie answered quietly and her parents exchanged worried looks. Her sisters decided to go fix some drinks up to calm everyone down.

"What happened in the dream sweetie?" Mr. Booregard asked softly. "You don't have to tell us if-"

"…I had a nightmare about Gumball." Carrie started, and then proceeded to tell them about her dream. After she was done, as there wasn't really much to tell in the first place, her parents were silent for a long minute until her sisters brought in some cups of hot cocoa.

"…Thanks Maddie…" Carrie said quietly, taking a small sip of the drink. Her youngest sister smiled and nodded, while the middle sister, Abby just frowned.

"You going to look for him right now?" Abby asked and Carrie nodded. While their parents frowned.

"Not at this hour, honey. I know we're all dead, but still, we're your parents and you have a curfew." Her mother told her.

"Mom, I'm 17 years old, can't I at least stay out past midnight? Besides, it's Summer vacation." Carrie argued. "Please Mom, let me go out tonight and look again. Please."

"Carrie, you-" Mr. Booregard started.

"You can go." Her mother finished, cutting her husband off. He gave her a glance but Mrs. Booregard nodded. "Come on girls, it's time for you to go to bed."

Abby and Maddie looked at their mother as she led them toward their respective bedrooms. "But we're ghosts, why do we need to sleep?"

"A ghoul like you needs her beauty rest." Mrs. Booregard said, whisking them off to bed.

After they had been put in their respective rooms, the Booregards looked at their daughter for a minute then hugged her. She reveled in the embrace, trying to rid herself of the horrible image from her nightmare as she finally calmed down. "Good luck, I'm sure you'll find him."

Carrie nodded. "I know I will, one way or another, he's coming home tonight. Thanks Mom, thanks Dad."

They both nodded, and with that, Carrie exited her room through the window so fast that if you would have blinked, she would have been there one second and gone the next. For a long while, there was nothing to be said. Her parents knew exactly what was going through her mind, she had found her soul mate and simply did not want to admit it yet. Would Gumball return those feelings? After everything the two had been through, it seemed very likely.

"She's a lot like you when we were young, Mirabelle." Carrie's father said.

"She gets her denial from you, Illusius. She forgets she talks in her sleep, I keep hearing her talk about Gumball. I just hope that boy hasn't gotten himself in trouble." Carrie's mother replied.

"I'm sure he's fine. No matter what, Gumball always had his heart in the right place."

* * *

A young sapphire furred cat was walking toward Elmore's bar. He looked up at the familiar neon sign and rolled his neck around, hearing a few pops. Straightening his Union jacket, he weaved his way through the crowd to get past the bouncer but he was stopped roughly, his only achievement of trying to enter the bar being a small glimpse of the familiar bar he frequented.

"Whoa, not so fast buddy, what's your name?" the bouncer asked gruffly.

"Why? This is a free bar." the sapphire furred cat asked.

"Private party tonight bud. Richest guy in Elmore rented the entire bar. V.I.P. invite only. Now your name?" the bouncer asked again, losing his patience.

The sapphire furred cat gave his name and the bouncer grunted as he searched his clipboard.

"…Sorry pal, you're not on the list." the bouncer shook his head, blocking his way when the cat tried to get through.

The cat glared daggers, then struck the bouncer in an uppercut, knocking him out cold before he even hit the ground. The crowd gasped and _'Oh!_'ed, but made no move to cross this man. The cat raised his hands above his head, catching the clipboard and wrote on it.

"I am now." the cat replied, tossing it onto the unconscious body of the bouncer.

Written in red all capital letters were the words _'FUCK YOU!'_

**A/N: Well, here's the end of the first chap. What'd you think? Did I do good so far? **


	2. Chapter 2: All Pain Is Gone

**A/N: LOL I guess only one person picked up on the reference I made on the end of the first chap. The ending where the bouncer is knocked out cold is a reference to the same scene from DmC Devil May Cry. Anyways, here's the new chap.**

Carrie looked around desperately for any sign of Gumball, but she felt slightly disheartened. If she couldn't find him at all for the past month and a half, what would make tonight any different? She chastised herself, she _would_ find him no matter what. She honestly didn't know where to start, so she decided to try his old home again. Didn't hurt to try, did it?

Standing at the picket fence, she gazed at the ruins of the house illuminated by the moonlight. It held an almost otherworldly beauty that, even though the living room was utterly destroyed, it was simply stunning to behold. The left corner of the house where the living room had collapsed and fallen away from the house hadn't changed a bit in the last two years. Treading lightly up the cement path, she took a deep breath when she stopped at the steps to the porch. Swallowing, she began up the steps and, not wanting to give any disrespect, opened the door instead of simply passing through it.

Closing the door softly behind her, Carrie gazed upon the condemned house. It would have gone back up on the market if not for the living room, however the town actually wanted to keep it just the way it was. To honor the memory of the Watterson's is why they were leaving the house just the way it was. Moving through the wreckage, another thing the town wanted to leave untouched, the young ghost stopped in the middle of what remained of the room, reliving memories. So many fond memories of spending time with the Wattersons…

The couch were she and Gumball had unknowingly, at least until they woke up, had had a cuddle session after passing out due to a long day of school. The table where Carrie and Anais had played with Daisy the Donkey and other various stuffed animals. The TV where so many epic video game battles between herself, Gumball and Darwin had taken place. And the countless movies they had watched…

Now, everything she had clearly remembered and loved about the Watterson residence lay fragmented and broken beyond repair. Trying to keep herself from crying as the realization hit her as it had many times before, she walked into the kitchen, and she could have sworn she smelled Nicole Watterson's cooking. Pots and pans lay scattered about, from result of the accident two years ago. She remembered vividly of the times she spent here, Carrie thought the Wattersons were the perfect family, how unfair to be broken apart…

Carrie reminisced about the times she had stayed for dinner, out of courtesy. And Gumball's mother had actually asked Gumball and herself if they were a couple. Both of them immediately denied the fact, by saying 'NO!' really loud with equally scarlet faces. Nicole Watterson had laughed it off, apologizing, and the dinner resumed as normal despite the embarrassment. She found herself now starting to second guess that statement of holding feelings for Gumball. She knew that she cared for him, without a doubt in her (figurative) mind. She wouldn't have been looking for him in the past month and a half if she hadn't. But… one thing that had bothered her, though she had pushed it aside until now, was the question that ate at her.

Did she care for him in a romantic way?

She honestly had no answer to that. True, whenever she thought of him, all of the Hollywood clichés happened to her. If - when - she found him, Carrie knew she would have to confront these confusing feelings.

Exiting the kitchen, she began up the stairs to the second floor.

"Gumball…?" Carrie asked aloud and she shivered as her voice sounded louder than it should have. Then again, this house was (as far as she knew) empty, so it was only natural her voice was amplified. She stopped at the beginning of the hallway, all was still.

No answer. She, in all conscience, had not expected one.

Carrie stopped at Anais' room first, simply because she was stalling; as the ghost did not know what she would find when she got to Gumball and Darwin's room. Everything was just as she remembered it when she spent time with the young rabbit. She looked around the room, smiling a little as she remembered the time when she offered to play with Anais. At first the child was in disbelief, but then actually was ecstatic when Carrie was serious about willing to take a little time away from the boys to embrace her feminine side. The Daisy the Donkey doll lay on her bed and Carrie picked up the toy, running her fingers around the material. Gazing over it, she put it in her knapsack and made a mental note to give it to the girl when she visited her in the hospital tomorrow.

Walking out of Anais' room, she stared for a long minute at the closed door marked 'Gumball & Darwin's Room' that was before her. Shifting her 'weight' from foot to foot, she took a deep breath as she slowly grasped the knob. Shutting her eyes tightly to will away any fear that lingered, she opened them back up as she gradually turned the doorknob. With a click that she swore that was deafeningly loud, Carrie eased the door open, running her eyes over the moonlit room.

Toys, obsolete video games and consoles, wadded up pieces of paper and clothes littered the floor. But no sign of Gumball.

For some reason, unlike the rest of the house, (unless you counted the living room) Gumball and Darwin's room was unbearable for her to enter. Carrie remained frozen, unable to move, unable to breathe as her hand was glued to the doorknob. She shut the door quietly, finally willing her hand to come off the handle, and after making sure she had Anais' doll secure in her bag Carrie began down the stairs and out the front door.

Closing the gate behind her, she took one last long look at the Watterson home. She wondered how different it would have been if the accident never occurred. Would she and Gumball had still have grown as close as they did if that never happened? He would have never left in the first place if it hadn't. She turned, getting ready to head straight to that bar and stay there till she found answers or, better yet, Gumball himself.

"Carrie? What are you doing out so late?" The young ghost turned, seeing the one person she had _hoped_ to not run into tonight.

"Penny…" Carrie crossed her arms, her face impassive but they both knew she was boiling mad at seeing her. "I'm dead, I don't need sleep. I should be asking you that."

The antlered-peanut shook her head, setting her gaze upon the other girl as she kept her poker-face up. "I asked first, Carrie."

Carrie narrowed her eyes. _Still stuck-up, eh?_ she thought. "None of your business."

She about-faced, walking away from her with no intention of stopping whatsoever. She didn't want to waste any more time with her. "You're looking for Gumball, aren't you?"

That stopped Carrie, she didn't need to turn around to know Penny was wearing a triumphant grin.

"Where is he?" Carrie asked, not looking at the other girl and was adamant in keeping her back to the peanut.

"Moonlight Mile, the bar downtown." Penny replied and Carrie sighed.

"I was on my way there anyway. How do you know he's there?" The ghost asked, really wishing she would have just shut up and continued on her way. She was wasting time.

"I just came from there. I saw him drinking." Penny answered simply.

"And what were you doing there? Looking for a desperate guy to bang your harlot ass?" Carrie looked back at the peanut, giving a derisive smirk.

Penny glared. "NO! I was-" Carrie walked away, tuning the peanut out by popping in her ear buds, blaring her music.

Strangely enough, when she arrived at the bar, there was actually a line to get into the Moonlight Mile. That was weird, since there was no wait to get in due to it being a public bar. She excused herself past a few people and they let her pass, more focused on whatever had occurred than her cutting in line. Carrie came to the front and saw three people trying to awaken what appeared to be the bouncer for the bar.

Turning off her music, she saw that the bouncer had been knocked out cold. Still breathing, but totally out of it. One of the men called 911 and asked the paramedics for pointers on the proper way to reawaken someone.

"What happened to him?" Carrie asked, tapping one man on the shoulder.

"Some guy knocked this bouncer out cold just 'cuz he couldn't get in." the man replied. "There's supposedly a party tonight and the richest guy in Elmore rented the whole bar to himself and his partygoers."

"Who?" Carrie asked, interested.

"The guy who knocked him out or the richest guy in Elmore?" The man asked back.

"The first one." Carrie replied.

"I dunno… some kind of sapphire furred cat. I think his name was Walter's Son or something like that. I couldn't hear it properly." The man replied, nodding as the Paramedics gave him tips and he began.

Carrie didn't need to hear anymore anyway and basically flew into the bar, looking around frantically for any sign of Gumball. Combchrist's "Throat Full of Glass" started playing, which was strangely fitting to her current situation.

She tried the counter where the bartender was currently mixing a drink. She asked if he had seen a sapphire furred feline and the bartender gave her a one-over, then pointed to a table on the far end of the bar. A lone man sat in the corner by himself, two empty bottles of beer stood on the table itself and he was starting on his third. He had his hood up, however as he reached for the third beverage, his sleeve slid down to reveal sapphire fur and Carrie's (figurative) heart skipped a beat.

"Gumball…" She whispered, starting to weave her way through the dancing crowd slowly. Carrie resisted the urge to shove everyone out of the way to get to him, but she was actually apprehensive as she neared him. What if it wasn't him? It was, she was sure of it! The young ghost was being patient and when she finally reached him, Carrie struggled to say something. _Anything._

"You a new waitress?" He asked and Carrie let out an audible gasp, it _was_ him. His hood raised a little as he looked at her. "What? Oh, you need to know my usual order, right?"

Carrie said nothing, her mouth opened and closed several times, but no sound came out.

"Wait a minute…" the hooded young man said.

He slowly removed his hood, gazing at her with an expression of surprise and shock equal to her own. They both stared at one another that seemed like forever, neither really knew what to say.

"C-Carrie…? Is that you…?" Gumball asked, his mouth running dry.

"You…" Carrie shut her eyes tightly as she choked on the words, trying to keep the tears back and took a deep breath so she wouldn't curse him out. "You left me…"

"Come back with me to my apartment." Gumball said. He left a five underneath his unfinished beer, straightening his jacket once more. Wrapping an arm around a dazed and apprehensive Carrie, he led her out of the bar. The group that had witnessed his knockout punch backed up immediately as they saw him and gave Gumball room as he continued to lead the distressed ghost to his apartment. In reality, it wasn't far from the bar, a short walk really, but long enough to give Carrie enough time to recover and find her voice.

"You live in an apartment?" She blurted out. So many emotions ran through her, and it was hard to focus on voicing them all, and that was the first thing (albeit a little stupid) that popped to her head. It was perhaps the easiest thing to ask him at this moment.

"Yeah," Gumball nodded, passing the counter and giving the landlord a curt nod. "Frank."

"Watterson." Frank nodded back.

Gumball led Carrie to the elevator and pressed the button to the fourth floor. An awkward, heavy silence ensued between the two, so much that had to be said and neither really knew how to start. And pretty much the only thing that broke the silence was the soft elevator music that permeated the small space, which under normal circumstances would have eased the tension but instead elevated it. With a ding, the doors opened to the fourth floor finally. Stepping out, Gumball unlocked the door to his apartment, stepping inside and gestured for her to enter as well.

She did so and stood awkwardly still as Gumball shut the door behind them.

"Make yourself at home, Carrie." Gumball shed his jacket and hung it on the coat hanger, heading to the kitchen.

Carrie looked around as she entered the small living room, taking a seat on the couch and stared at the small 13-inch TV set. His apartment was not at all how she expected it. She expected to see dirty clothes and bear cans/bottles strewn about the place. It was quite the opposite, his apartment was surprisingly clean, maybe he had just started living here? If so, did that mean he had been living on the streets before?

"So… What's up?" Gumball asked her. He acted as if there had not been any time away, as if they had just talked on the phone last night. It was as if he were trying to play off the fact that he didn't come home that one night, and Carrie was not going to let him get off so easily. He took a seat across from her on a recline-less chair, another beer in his hand that he took a sip of.

Carrie narrowed her eyes. "Is that all you can say? 'What's up?'"

Gumball said nothing, simply taking another sip of his beer, until Carrie slapped it out of his hand with an angry expression, spilling it all over the carpet.

"Jesus, Carrie!" Gumball leapt up, picking up the beer and throwing it away, grabbing a rag and began to mop up the spill. He kept his eyes on the spill, trying his best to get the stain out before it set in, while mentally preparing himself for the rant that was about to begin.

"First off, no more alcohol!" Carrie snapped, and Gumball repressed a sigh. "Second, you are coming back home with me."

"…And third?" Gumball asked, trying his best to keep the sourness out of his tone, doing a very poor job at that.

Carrie was silent for a full minute, her voice soft yet laced with hurt. "…Why?" Carrie asked him. Her voice finally broke under all the emotions she felt at that moment. She had tried to remain strong, but the fact that he was now pretending as if he had not left her alone made her feel even worse. That simply shattered her tough exterior.

Gumball threw the rag in the sink, then resumed his seat, not looking at her. That only increased her feeling of worthlessness. He was trying to delay the inevitable by asking "Why what?"

"Why the hell did you leave me all alone?!" Carrie yelled at him, and Gumball closed his eyes, trying his best not to wince. "You left me… I've never felt so _empty._ None of those who used to be my friends wanted anything to do with me ever since we started living together. Then I knew who my real friends are, you were my one and only _true_ friend. Everyone believed it was your fault, I never believed for a second it was. I stuck by you when no one else would because I cared for you! And yet, you leave and that's how you repay me for my kindness of being a true friend?! All I had left when you were gone were my parents and my sisters. And where were you?"

Gumball was yet again, silent. Carrie stood up, grabbing his shirt in her hands, glaring at him.

"Where were you?" She asked him again, and he still said nothing. She tightened her grip on his shirt and started shaking him. "Where were you? Where were you? WHERE THE _FUCK WERE YOU?!"_

She had stopped shaking him and suddenly collapsed against him, sobbing into his shirt as he slowly wrapped his arms around her, letting out tears of his own.

"You didn't even think about what it would do to me if you left, did you?" Carrie asked, burying her face in his chest as her tears soaked his shirt. "Don't you care for me? You always thought about yourself!"

"I'm sorry, Carrie!" Gumball held her close, crying. "I'm sorry I left you. So very sorry! I… I was scared. I didn't want what happened to my family to happen to yours or you. I thought if I left, you'd be safer and better off without me. Please… _Please_ forgive me, Carrie."

"Don't you _ever_ leave again." Carrie kept her face in his chest and her voice was slightly muffled. "I forgive you… Just promise me that you won't leave again. Promise me you'll stay. _Promise_ you won't ever leave _me_…"

Gumball pulled away, cupping her face in his hands. "I swear to you… I will never EVER leave you again. I promise that with my soul."

"Gumball…" Carrie whispered, placing her hands over his, trying not to cry again. This time, it would have been out of happiness.

"I… I was in the hospital." Gumball told her and Carrie's eyes widened. "That guy who owned the shop broke out of prison and wanted revenge on me for locking him up."

"…W-What happened?" Carrie asked, afraid of the answer. Her eyes continued to be wide and their hands dropped.

"Well… he had broken out of prison a while ago, but he basically went back to the slammer the same day, that's why it was never in the news." Gumball replied, and Carrie tilted her head. "But… uh… he's dead now. He got the needle for my family's murder and trying to murder me. After two years… he's finally got what was coming to him."

"And…" Carrie swallowed, even though the man did deserve it, she was slightly unnerved at how happy Gumball felt. Even to her, killing was and uneasy subject for her. "You were in a coma because?"

"He scored a lucky shot and knocked me out with a chair." Gumball answered. "And… I'm so sorry, Carrie. When I woke up, I thought I was cursed. I thought that no matter what, there would always be some psycho coming after me. That's why I decided to stay away, I figured you'd be safer."

"You promised…" Carrie said quietly, afraid he was taking it back.

"Yes, yes I promised." Gumball said quickly, taking her hands. "I'm staying with you, cross my heart."

He moved his hands from hers to cup Carrie's face, smiling at her. "And nothing is going to separate us again, be sure of that."

Carrie hugged him tightly, snuggling against his chest. After all this time, they were finally together again. In a friendship way, she meant. Not the… you know what she meant. Gumball brought her into his lap and the young ghost blushed at this as he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed, closing her eyes and simply rested against him. This what heaven must be like, just being near those you care deeply for. The young cat rested his head against hers and Carrie could hear and feel the gentle vibrations of his purring, seems like she wasn't the only one who was happy. He gently kissed the top of her head and Carrie stiffened slightly, and Gumball took note.

"…Sorry." He said, unsure of what to make of it himself. Obviously it was a sign of affection, but… was it of friendly affection or out of romantic feelings? Carrie lifted her head slowly to look him in the eyes, the very question he was trying to figure out himself was written on her face as well. They stared into the others eyes for a long while, trying to figure out what the other was thinking. The cat and ghost had been friends for a long long time, was this to be expected? Was it simply they were so close this would be considered normal between friends? Or… yes, it had to be something deeper, Gumball could see it in her eyes. She unconsciously confirmed that matter.

Gently resting her hands on his shoulders, she slowly trailed them up the cat's neck to cup his face, and Gumball shivered. It felt good. Carrie slowly leaned forward and the cat felt his face start to heat up, and she softly kissed his nose. Both knew the question she was going to ask.

"…Gumball." She said softly. "…Do…Do you love me?"

Gumball swallowed. "Yes, I do. The two years we spent together… I've never felt so close to anyone. Not even Dar-" The cat stopped and shut his eyes tightly, trying to control his sudden heavy breathing at the pain of memories of his dead brother. The rush of memories was too much…

"_Shh…"_ Carrie laid a finger to his lips and that actually did calm him down. "It's okay, Gumball, I'm here."

"Carrie…" Gumball said quietly, bringing her closer to himself and hugged her tighter, to which the young ghost returned. "Do… Do you think… they blame me?"

She shook her head. "No, Gumball. I'm sure they don't. They love you after all."

"And… Anais…" Gumball sighed heavily, looking away. "She's… in a coma 'cuz of me."

"Gumball Tristopher Watterson, look at me." Carrie said sternly, and he did. "She doesn't blame you, I'm sure of it. Trust me on this, she's your little sister and she will always love you, that I am certain of."

The young cat nodded and Carrie smiled. "And you know what? I love you too."

And it was indeed true. All this time, she was uncertain of her own feelings, but now she knew for a fact that she cared for him in the romantic way. She wasn't sure how long, from when they were kids or from the two years they lived together. However, she knew the love had always been there, she was just unsure if what she felt was true or not. One thing was for sure, she loved him with everything she had.

This time, she leaned forward until their lips met, and as soon as they shared their first kiss, it was like Carrie felt alive again. She felt whole, complete, as if she lacked something and Gumball held she was missing. He completed her. She felt a fire stirring in her body as she wrapped her arms around his neck while Gumball kept his hands on her waist. She gave a soft moan as he traced his tongue across her lower lip and she gladly gave him entrance. Their tongues began to mingle as their passions drew them further, but then Carrie broke off, grabbing his hand. He'd hooked it under her hoodie and had started to lift it up.

"Wait…" She said as they both slightly panted. "I-I don't think I'm ready for that yet…"

"S-Sorry…" Gumball said, lowering his gaze to the floor, embarrassed and ashamed. "I got caught up in the moment."

Carrie gave an understanding smile, kissing his nose again. "It's okay, but…"

She pointed to his pants and it was completely obvious he was excited, Gumball's face went scarlet as Carrie giggled. He honestly had no idea what to do now, so he shut his eyes and leaned his head back in his chair, trying to will away the embarrassment. He tried breathing in and out deeply, calming himself.

"Hey." Gumball opened his eyes to look at her, letting Carrie know she had his attention. She stood up and held out her hand to him. "Let's go home."

Gumball stared at her for a full minute, then took her hand in his, standing up. He nodded, grabbing his jacket as they passed it and accompanied her out the door. Riding down the elevator, Carrie rested her head on his shoulder and kept a tight hold on his hand. For fear if she let go, he would disappear.

When they walked out of the elevator, Gumball stopped at the desk. "Frank, I'll be moving out tomorrow."

Frank nodded, not seeming to care one way or the other. With that, the couple left the apartment complex and began back to the Booregard residence. However, when they started to go down the street that had Gumball's old home on it, Carrie started to get a little apprehensive. They stopped at the gate of the house, looking over the residence. Gumball then looked at her, nodding, opening the gate.

"There's something I need to get from my old room." He told her, noticing her hesitance. "You can come too if you want, but it's alright if you don't."

Carrie tightened her hold on his hand again and nodded. "I'm coming."

Gumball stopped and gazed over the living room as they entered, then proceeded up the stairs with Carrie right behind him. Going down the hallway, the cat opened the door to his old bedroom, looking around. This time, Carrie was able to enter the room, mostly due to Gumball being with her.

"Everything is just as I remember it…" Gumball said softly, stepping up to his nightstand, brushing his fingers over Darwin's old bowl.

Carrie was unsure of how to respond to this, so she remained silent, her eyes on him.

Gumball opened up the drawer, shifting around a few things inside of the small space and retrieved a small black box, putting it in his pocket, closing the drawer. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily, Carrie stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" She asked him softly.

"I'm fine." Gumball replied, smiling.

"What was in the box?" Carrie asked, curious.

"In that box…" the cat replied, keeping it secure in his pocket. "Is our future."

Carrie nodded at first not realizing, then it hit her. "Wait… was that…?"

"Let's go home." Gumball said, dodging the question. Carrie let it go for the time being, she knew for a fact they were not fully ready for that type of commitment, which would explain why he didn't answer. He knew it as well.

Together, they left the Watterson residence, content for the moment just to have each other. And whatever their future held, they would always be together to face it together.

Carrie opened the door to her own home once they reached it, and she gave one of the biggest smiles she had ever given in the past month and a half.

"Guess who I brought home!" She said a loud. There was a few moments of silence until Mr. and Mrs. Booregard came from the direction of the kitchen, eyes wide. Abby and Maddie both came from the ceiling of what would have been the floor of their bedrooms. All of them had expressions of shock, then profound happiness.

"Gumball!" Mrs. Booregard and Carrie's sisters threw their arms around him, three death-grip hugs for the cat. He smiled and returned them.

"I'm sorry for leaving, Mrs. Booregard, but I'm back for good now." Gumball's smile widened.

"Carrie missed you like crazy, she wouldn't even sleep." Maddie piped up, and Carrie blushed in embarrassment at her little sister.

Mrs. Booregard pulled away, smiling brightly. "If Carrie can forgive you, so can we. Right, Illusius?"

Mr. Booregard nodded. "Gumball, a word, if you will?"

"Yes sir." The cat nodded back, following the ghost into the kitchen.

Illusius took a deep breath, keeping his back to the feline for a full minute as they closed the door. He finally turned, his face serious.

"Honestly, I am glad you are back, son." Mr. Booregard said, putting a hand on Gumball's shoulder. "I understand you lost nearly your entire family, and it hurts, I know. But you really hurt Carrie, she couldn't stop crying for days."

"I know, I'm sorry that-" Mr. Booregard raised a hand.

"Please, let me finish." Illusius said gently, and Gumball nodded.

"There's something special about you, Gumball." Mr. Booregard said. "Carrie has never really shown an interest in boys. And if she ever had, it was strictly friendship. Needless to say, she cares for you deeper than she's willing to admit. You have no idea how happy you made her, I know given the circumstances it sounds selfish, but Carrie is glad that you chose to live with her. If she could bring them all back, she would, no doubt about that."

"I'm getting off topic." Illusius said, rubbing his eyes. "Chalk it up to old age, eh son?"

They shared a chuckle.

"Look son, what I'm getting at is she loves you. That's why she was devastated when you didn't come home. You may not feel the same way, Gumball, but she is a sweet girl. You should give her a chance, she's been for you when no one else has." Illusius said.

"I know, Mr. Booregard." Gumball gave a smile. "I love her too."

"She beat me to the punch, eh?" Illusius asked, chuckling.

"I sure did, Dad." Carrie said, popping from the kitchen doorway and throwing her arms around Gumball's neck, kissing his cheek. Mirabelle came from the hallway and stood next to Illusius, and Carrie's two sisters came in as well and smiled at the scene.

"When will we get cousins?" Maddie asked, and everyone's face went red.

"…Not for a long time, Maddie. Right Gumball?" Carrie replied, shooting a warning glance at the feline.

"Yeah, long time from now, Maddie." Gumball nodded, willing his face to go back to normal.

The Booregard's smiled, happy that their daughter was finally happy again. Everything was peaceful once again, as long as Carrie and Gumball had each other, life would be perfect.

**A/N: Well, this is the end of this story, but then again, not really. I have a 'Joke' ending and an 'Alternate' ending planned, so keep a look out for those. Hope you enjoyed this fic! (Also, the 'accident' from 2 years ago will be revealed in the Alternate Ending.) And I also have a sequel planned, however I have two ideas, I don't know whether to go with one or the other or both. LOL Well anyways, hope you enjoyed this fic, thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3: I Know What I Am Doing

**A/N: Yes, the bit starting up is from the last chapter, I know. LOL Go ahead and peg me as lazy. But once they get out of the elevator, expect something different.**

"…Gumball." She said softly. "…Do…Do you love me?"

Gumball swallowed. "Yes, I do. The two years we spent together… I've never felt so close to anyone. Not even Dar-" The cat stopped and shut his eyes tightly, trying to control his sudden heavy breathing at the pain of memories of his dead brother. The rush of memories was too much…

"_Shh…"_ Carrie laid a finger to his lips and that actually did calm him down. "It's okay, Gumball, I'm here."

"Carrie…" Gumball said quietly, bringing her closer to himself and hugged her tighter, to which the young ghost returned. "Do… Do you think… they blame me?"

She shook her head. "No, Gumball. I'm sure they don't. They love you after all."

"And… Anais…" Gumball sighed heavily, looking away. "She's… in a coma 'cuz of me."

"Gumball Tristopher Watterson, look at me." Carrie said sternly, and he did. "She doesn't blame you, I'm sure of it. Trust me on this, she's your little sister and she will always love you, that I am certain of."

The young cat nodded and Carrie smiled. "And you know what? I love you too."

And it was indeed true. All this time, she was uncertain of her own feelings, but now she knew for a fact that she cared for him in the romantic way. She wasn't sure how long, from when they were kids or from the two years they lived together. However, she knew the love had always been there, she was just unsure if what she felt was true or not. One thing was for sure, she loved him with everything she had.

This time, she leaned forward until their lips met, and as soon as they shared their first kiss, it was like Carrie felt alive again. She felt whole, complete, as if she lacked something and Gumball held she was missing. He completed her. She felt a fire stirring in her body as she wrapped her arms around his neck while Gumball kept his hands on her waist. She gave a soft moan as he traced his tongue across her lower lip and she gladly gave him entrance. Their tongues began to mingle as their passions drew them further, but then Carrie broke off, grabbing his hand. He'd hooked it under her hoodie and had started to lift it up.

"Wait…" She said as they both slightly panted. "I-I don't think I'm ready for that yet…"

"S-Sorry…" Gumball said, lowering his gaze to the floor, embarrassed and ashamed. "I got caught up in the moment."

Carrie gave an understanding smile, kissing his nose again. "It's okay, but…"

She pointed to his pants and it was completely obvious he was excited, Gumball's face went scarlet as Carrie giggled. He honestly had no idea what to do now, so he shut his eyes and leaned his head back in his chair, trying to will away the embarrassment. He tried breathing in and out deeply, calming himself.

"Hey." Gumball opened his eyes to look at her, letting Carrie know she had his attention. She stood up and held out her hand to him. "Let's go home."

Gumball stared at her for a full minute, then took her hand in his, standing up. He nodded, grabbing his jacket as they passed it and accompanied her out the door. Riding down the elevator, Carrie rested her head on his shoulder and kept a tight hold on his hand. For fear if she let go, he would disappear.

When they walked out of the elevator, Gumball stopped at the desk. "Frank, I'll be moving out tomorrow."

Frank nodded, not seeming to care one way or the other. The couple turned to head out, ready to sleep the night's troubles away until…

"Good luck, and stay enlightened." Frank said, and Gumball stopped in his tracks, surprising Carrie when he suddenly went rigid.

The feline turned his head, looking at Frank with a gaze of disbelief. "…What did you just say?"

"Stay enlightened." Frank replied, a vile grin lighting up his once impassive face. Carrie realized why he never smiled, it was downright psychotic. She gripped Gumball's arm in sudden fear.

_-Flash-_

"_Sir, Mr. John Kramer, I need to have a birthday surprise for my brother, Darwin." Gumball rung the bell on the counter. He had recently turned fifteen and it was now Darwin's day to bask in the limelight._

_From the back of the store 'Billy the Puppet's Prank Shop', came an elderly male fox who was currently garbed in a black jacket with his hood up. It almost gave him a menacing appearance, but Gumball swallowed the fear._

"_I am sorry, Kid. I'm going out of business, I can't help you." The fox replied, dropping the stack of boxes he had carried in from the storage room in the back onto the counter._

"_Come on, please? Would fifty bucks make it worth your while? It's all I have, please Sir." Gumball pleaded. "It's my brother's fifteenth birthday party today_ _and I really want to make it special."_

_Mr. Kramer looked at Gumball for a long minute. "Keep your money, this one's on the house. Might as well do so, I don't want to take your money. This'll be my last job, just for you, Mr…?"_

"_Gumball, Sir." the feline replied. "Gumball Watterson."_

_Mr. Kramer nodded, committing the name to memory. He pulled down his hood and scratched his chin in thought, wondering what exactly to do for the child's birthday. He smiled as an idea came to him and he disappeared into the back of the shop again. A few minutes went by with Gumball looking around his shop and he chuckled at the absurdity and slight… macabre look to some of the pranks that were displayed. Some of them looked like they were torture devices rather than pranks. He shivered slightly, but then controlled himself when Mr. Kramer came back again._

_He was carrying what appeared to be a ventriloquist doll affixed to a tricycle that appeared to have been specifically made for it. The puppet had a clown face that you would usually see on most entertainers, more or less for lack of a better term, Ronald McDonald. It was dressed in a black tuxedo with a white undershirt and a crimson bowtie. Due to it being a clown, it creeped Gumball out a little._

_Gumball looked at it for a minute, then at Mr. Kramer. "What's this, Sir?"_

"_There here, is Billy." Mr. Kramer replied. "I built him for my son but…"_

_He trailed off, apparently lost in memories then seemed to remember where he was. "He was never able to receive him."_

"_I'm sorry, Mr. Kramer." Gumball said and the Fox was silent. "No offense, Mr. Kramer, but… why show me this?"_

_Kramer gave a smile that slightly unnerved Gumball. "This is your brother's present. I'm giving it to your brother."_

_Gumball was shocked. "Wow, Mr. Kramer are you really sure?"_

_He nodded. "Yes, May I accompany you to give it to him in person?"_

"_Uh… sure, I don't see why not." Gumball replied, and Kramer smiled as he placed 'Billy' into a case and carried it out of the store as he accompanied Gumball. _

"_So how come you're going out of business?" The feline asked._

"_Well…" Kramer stopped as he locked up his shop. "Let's just say this last job is going to go out with a bang, and after that, I am going underground."_

_Gumball raised an eyebrow, not getting it, but at the same time didn't want to bother him any more by asking. They continued in silence, the Feline not really knowing what to say, all Gumball wanted to do was get home and make Darwin's birthday special and a great one to remember._

"_So tell me about your family." Kramer said, eyeing Gumball from the corner of his eye._

"_Well, my Dad is a stay-at-home parent, he watches over us while my Mom works." Gumball answered. "My little sister is seven years old, she just started her first day of second grade. My mother is basically a work-a-holic, however she does put time aside for the family. And my brother is the best brother ever, that's why I want to make this day special."_

"_Believe me. It will be." Kramer nodded, smiling. And Gumball still got that creepy vibe from the smile._

"_Well, here we are." Gumball said, announcing their arrival at his home. "It's not much, but it's home."_

_Kramer surveyed the house. "It's a beautiful house."_

_He gestured for Gumball to continue, and the Feline accepted the gesture, leading the Fox up the porch steps and opened the door for him. Nicole Watterson came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a rag and stopped short when she saw John._

"…_Hello." She said in a calm, yet apprehensive voice._

"_I apologize for my sudden appearance. Mr. Gumball Watterson here came to my shop asking if I could help with a birthday party. I own - well - what has been 'Billy the Puppet's Prank Shop' down the road, and he came to me asking for help. Since I am going out of business, I offered to do this for free. I come bearing a gift for his brother." Kramer offered the case to Nicole, who staggered slightly under the weight._

"_T-Thank you. We really appreciate this." Nicole said as the rest of the family began to file in._

"_Happy birthday, Darwin. I apologize I cannot stay longer, but I must be on my way." Kramer excused himself, exiting through the doorway, closing it behind him without another word. Anais, Richard and Darwin all looked at the man, wondering who he was. Of course Nicole would fill them in later._

_Darwin opened the case, in awe of what lay inside. It was elaborate, yes, but just… creepy. Anais moved over to Gumball, slightly afraid of the doll, while Richard and Nicole stood next to Darwin as he looked over his gift._

_The attire was exactly the same, but the face was now completely different. It was the same pasty white in terms of skin color, but the clown face of 'Ronald McDonald' was replaced with a protruding brow and cheeks that had red spirals painted on them. His red lips formed a mocking, almost sadistic grin. His eyes were black with red irises, and his head was topped with black, messy hair._

_Anais clutched Gumball's arm as everything seemed to happen in slow motion._

_Billy the Puppet's eyes looked between the three people crowded over him and his mouth hung open to give one of the cliché 'Halloween Toy Laugh's, before it closed, the noise stopping. _

_The eyes moved till they locked with Gumball's and his jaw moved as he said these final words: __**"Stay enlightened."**_

_With that, the puppet exploded, the shockwave knocking out the living room and the flames from the puppet engulfed the flying forms of Richard, Darwin and Nicole. Their screams were cut off as Gumball and Anais lost consciousness from flying debris._

_-Flash- _

"…You're…You're with him!" Gumball pointed a finger at Frank, snarling. "You're with John Kramer!"

Carrie looked at Gumball, still gripping his arm, then back at Frank, who was reaching under his desk for something. He whipped his hand up, holding a 9mm handgun, aimed at Gumball's forehead, which the feline knew for a fact due to the laser-sight.

"Carrie…" the feline said through clenched teeth. "Get out of here."

"I'm not leaving, Gumball. Besides, I'm a-" The ghost began to remind him she couldn't die again.

"_NOW!" _Gumball shouted, pushing her out of the door, ducking as Frank fired off one shot. The feline threw himself over the counter, grabbing the older man's fire-arm hand and attempted to wrench it from him. But Frank let the momentum carry, allowing him to knock Gumball across the face. As Gumball attempted to keep a hold on his gun hand, Frank knocked him across the face again and pressed the gun to his forehead.

"…You're the reason he's dead." Frank snarled, pressing against his forehead with more force.

"He was supposed to be a professional serial killer, how did he get caught?" Gumball shot back. "Besides, what does it matter to you anyway?"

"He was my son, and you had him killed." Frank's snarl deepened.

"An eye for an eye, that son of a bitch killed my family." Gumball shot back, he was really pushing it. Knowing this, he slapped the gun away, hearing it fire right next to his ear. He went deaf his left ear and tackled Frank to the ground.

They wrestled and around the floor, with Gumball punching him with everything he had and all Frank could do was take the hits. Gumball let out all of his anger, past and present, flow to his fists as he smashed his fists as hard as he could. He saw with satisfaction as a few teeth flew from the Fox's mouth. The feline gave him a hard right hook and blood splattered out of Frank's mouth as he went motionless. Gumball panted heavily as he surveyed the motionless form of the Fox, standing up slowly, wiping his mouth as he himself started to bleed.

He turned, seeing Carrie come in and throwing her arms around his neck. "Are you okay?"

A group of people from down the sidewalk came in to look in on the scene and looked from Gumball to Frank.

"Self-defense. He was going to shoot me." Gumball said dryly to the onlookers. The onlooker's simply gasped, and the feline shook his head. "What, you never saw blood before?"

"…He's…" One pointed, and Gumball spun around to see Frank sitting up and aiming his gun at the feline. He fired off three shots, two hitting Gumball in the chest while the third hit him in the throat. Frank smirked, then raised his gun to his own head and committed suicide.

Both men collapsed in a pool of blood, one dead and one dying. Carrie let out a scream as she fell to her knees next to Gumball, attempting to stop the bleeding.

"_SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!" _She screamed at the people who had entered, nine phones were out immediately and all dialed, one got through and asked for one immediately.

Carrie pressed her hands against the wounds, attempting to stop the bleeding but only succeeded in coating her hands in his blood. She took off her hoodie, holding it against his chest. Three of the onlookers, which she realized were the same men from the bar who helped the bouncer, lifted him up and carried him outside as they heard the sirens of the ambulance. Carrie was having a total mind-bending-nuclear-meltdown as he was put on a stretcher, bandages to stop the bleeding were placed over the wounds. They tossed Carrie's bloodied hoodie in a plastic bag for cleaning later and put it aside.

Jumping in with him, Carrie rode with him for thirteen tense minutes to Elmore's ER. As they stopped, with more force than necessary, Gumball groaned and set his eyes on Carrie, who held his hand as they brought him out of the vehicle and wheeled him inside.

"…I'll… be… fine…" he gargled and Carrie choked back a sob.

"I'll wait for you!" Carrie said when the doctors refused her entrance. She phoned her parents and, albeit in hysterics, they got the message and were on their way. When they finally arrived ten minutes later, the Booregards did their best to comfort Carrie. It was to no avail, she couldn't stop sobbing and pacing back and forth.

She would have worn an indent into the floor if it were possible. Two doctors, three doctors, a total of four doctors went running from their other posts (as they had been on break) into the ER to (Carrie assumed) to help with Gumball.

Illusius and Mirabelle stopped Carrie from her pacing and simply hugged her close while Maddie and Abby had no idea how else to comfort their older sister. As they were afraid they would say the wrong thing and cause Carrie to feel worse, so they simply joined the hug.

"He'll be ok, alright Carrie?" Mirabelle told her daughter, and she eventually calmed down enough to stop crying. She had to hope he would pull through.

However…

A half hour later, the head doctor came out, his face grave and he sighed heavily as the Booregard's crowded over him to hear the news. He clasped his hands behind his back as he searched for the right words.

"I am not going to beat around the bush, miss." The doctor told Carrie. "At 2:34 AM, Mr. Gumball Watterson has passed away…"

Carrie's mouth fell open and her voice croaked out. "…N-No… Please no…"

"I'm sorry, miss." The doctor laid what was supposed to be a comforting hand on her shoulder, but it did little to comfort her. "He's gone…"

The young ghost fell to her knees, not caring that people were around as she began crying again. He was gone and now there was nothing she could do. What was she to do now? Her family knelt next to her, starting a group hug as the doctor stood by feeling quite awkward.

"Please… m-may… I see him?" Carrie gasped, feeling weak. The doctor and her parents looked at her then exchanged worried expressions with the other, wouldn't seeing him do more harm than good? But they didn't dare object, so the doctor helped her up and led her to the room where Gumball was being held in.

They had apparently cleaned him up before she saw him. His eyes were closed and he seemed at peace, but she knew that her soul was not. She was broken now, and the part of her that Gumball had would always be his. She would never be complete again, that part of her will always be missing. Carrie took a deep, shuddering breath and stepped up to him, placing a hand gently on his arm as she gazed at his face. She leaned down and gently kissed his forehead, resting hers against his as she began to cry again.

"It's not fair…" She whispered. "It's not fair… Why…?"

"Carrie…" Illusius wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Come on… Let's…"

"NO!" Carrie screeched. "I'm NOT leaving him!"

She collapsed against him, hugging him close as she sobbed into his blood-soaked shirt. It wasn't fair! Why him? Why did fate have to tear them apart, _again? _Now she was truly alone and empty.

"Carrie…" Illusius said again, and this time she relented, letting her father bring her into a hug and she sobbed into his jacket instead.

"Why? Why did he have to die, Dad?" Carrie asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "This isn't fair, he… he said he loved me. He was going to come back to be with me…"

Illusius had no idea what to say on the matter, neither did her mother. Abby and Maddie sniffled quietly, tears running down their faces and the doctor cleared his throat.

"I'll… give your family some time alone. I am truly sorry." he apologized again and he left the room without another word. Carrie took a few deep breaths to calm herself, looking at her parents and siblings.

"I'm hungry… Could I have some food?" Carrie asked innocently, and her parents nodded.

"Anything specific?" Illusius asked, and she shook her head.

"Ok, you want to come with us?" Her mother asked, and Carrie shook her head.

"No… I want to stay with him for a bit longer." The young ghost answered and her parents respected that. As the left, Maddie had to use the restroom and asked Abby to accompany her, as she hated public restrooms, much less hospital ones.

"Alright Maddie. We'll be right back, Sis." Abby said, shutting the door behind her and her sister. Carrie stared for a long moment, not believing she was about to attempt what she was going to.

She locked the door to the hallway and gently scooped Gumball up in her arms, lowering him to the floor. She pushed random objects out of the way and laid him down, moving his hands to rest on his chest. Carrie took off her knapsack and dug around inside, searching for her chalk. She growled in frustration as she could not find it anywhere inside her bag.

"Where the hell is- there it is…" Carrie face palmed as she opened her side pocket and retrieved her chalk. She drew a large circle upon the ground that encompassed Gumball, making sure she made it as round as possible. Upon that, she drew a triangle that further closed the space that Gumball lay in. On each point, she drew small circles and inserted the proper runes that she had studied. With the chalk preparations completed, she ran two of her fingers against Gumball's neck, coating them in blood and completed the runes, kneeling next to the circle she had made.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, saying the words required. As the last syllable left her lips, she opened her eyes and was greeted by the same sight as she had left it. No change whatsoever. Closing her eyes, she recited them again and opened her eyes, still nothing had changed.

Screwing her eyes shut, she shouted the words as tears of desperation ran down her cheeks, falling to the floor and splashing against the chalk. There was nothing she could do to bring him back, even the ritual didn't want to work.

She was destined to lose him…

Standing up, she turned around and buried her face in her hands, crying quietly. Was this God's way of saying she should find someone else?

"This is so not fair…" Carrie wiped her eyes, hugging herself.

She felt gentle hands touch her shoulder, grasping her gently while offering a feather-light massage. Carrie assumed it was her father.

"…What's not fair?"

Carrie gasped, spinning around and her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. There, standing before her in a pale ghostly form…

Was Gumball.

"…The ritual…" Carrie whispered, but Gumball shushed her with a finger to her lips, as she had done earlier to him.

"It worked. Yes, I'm really here. I'm not a hallucination, I'm not a dream." Gumball told her, cupping her face as tears flowed down her face. This time, they were tears of happiness. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, he returned the kiss with equal passion, happy as she was that he was (technically) alive again.

They parted after what seemed like hours. "Carrie, I love you so much."

"I love you too, but…" Carrie lowered her gaze to the floor, noticing that Gumball's body was gone. "There's something I need to be honest with you about."

"Go ahead." Gumball replied.

"Well…" Carrie began, but cut herself off as her parents and siblings phased through the door and stopped short as they saw Gumball's form.

"Hey…" The feline said awkwardly, holding up his hand and has a small smile.

"Carrie… you didn't…" Illusius said in a shocked tone, gazing at the markings on the ground, then back up at the young couple.

"I was just getting ready to tell him that…" Carrie took a deep breath and looked into Gumball's eyes.

"This ritual is very special, whoever is brought back from the dead is…" Carrie trailed off, confusing Gumball even more. She regained her voice. "Whoever is brought back from the dead is bound to the ritual performer forever. Which means that… you're bound to me, romantically or otherwise."

Gumball was silent for a full minute, staring back at her, then slowly a smile spread over his face. "So?" he asked her.

"…Don't you realize? Gumball, you're-" Gumball kissed her again and Carrie's face was engulfed in a blush as he had done so in front of her parents. Illusius averted his eyes, while Mirabelle, Abby and Maddie 'Aw'ed.

They broke the kiss, Carrie still flustered. "Carrie, I love you with all my heart and soul. I don't care if I'm bound to you or not, as long as we can be together, I am content."

"…There is a possibility that you could fall out of love with me." Carrie whispered, hurt by the fact that that could happen.

"How about this?" Gumball pulled the small black box out of his pocket, opening it up and showed her a ring that lay inside. He pulled the ring out and placed it on her finger. "This was my mother's… now I'm giving it to you. Let it be a promise that I will never leave you, I will never fall in love with another woman. I am yours, and your alone."

"Jesus… will I never stop crying tonight?" Carrie laughed as she did for the millionth time tonight. She wrapped her arms around Gumball's neck, kissed him once and snuggled close to him.

"Gumball… I do not mean to make you second guess, but are you absolutely sure you are comfortable with this?" Illusius asked, clearing his throat.

"Yes sir, I am. Whether I be ghost, demon, angel or a hybrid of two or all, I am content as long as I am with Carrie. I love your daughter very much, I've given up my life for her." Gumball replied. "…I know it's a little late to ask, but are you ok with me asking Carrie-"

"You have our blessing. Carrie has never really shown an interest in boys. And if she ever had, it was strictly friendship. Needless to say, she cares for you deeper than I have ever seen her care for any of her friends. In fact, Gumball, I would rather not have anyone for her but you." Illusius replied, smiling.

Despite all that had happened, everything was all right in the end. Despite the fact that Gumball's family was broken, he still had Anais. Gumball was finally able to swallow the fact that they were gone. He still had his little sister, and his new family with the Booregards. Carrie was a part of his life now, literally and figuratively, and she always would be.

"Can we go see Anais?" Gumball asked. "I haven't visited her tonight at all."

"That reminds me." Carrie said, bringing out the Daisy the Donkey doll out of her knapsack. "I got this from her bedroom. I figured she'd want this when she wakes up."

Gumball smiled as the Booregards led them to the door, which was knocked on right as they reached it. They let the doctor in, and he stopped short as he saw Gumball. He took a deep breath, sighing as he turned back around.

"Nothing ever makes any sense in this town…" he said before he disappeared.

**A/N: And there is the alternate ending. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm so touched that many of you enjoyed this fic. Well, last up is the 'Joke' ending. Trust me, I don't think any of you will see it coming. Maybe you'll pick up on it due to me referencing a character from a famous movie series early in that chapter, and I hope it'll give you a good chuckle at the reference. So till then, later all.**


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